Visible index



W. A. RINGLER VISIBLE INDEX If'iled Nov.

Sept. 6, 1927.

ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 6, 1927.

UNlTfEDI STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. RINGLER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE GLOBE-WERNICKE CO., A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

VISIBLE INDEX.

Application led November 19, 19.24. Serial No. 750,745.

This invention relates to visible index devices, and particularly to the type in vwhich a series of index elements or units are suported for sliding movement in a frame, with the free edges of the units or elements projecting one beyond the other in a progressively 'overlapping manner, whereby each element will have an exposed marginal edge adapted to carry identification characters which will always be visible. This invention more particularly relates to the mounting of the index elements or sheets for sliding movement in the frame, and is in the nature of an improvement upon the carrier for index elements disclosed and claimed in my prior United States Patent #1,503,- 559, issued August 5th, 1,924.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved carrier for index elements which may be made partially or entirely of sheet metal; and which will be light in weight, rigid, durable, convenient, and relatively inexpensive.

A further object is to provide an improved carrier for index elements, to which `the elements may be attached 'or detached therefrom easily and rapidly, and in a simple manner; and to which the elements will be effectively secured when attached thereto.

A further object is to provide an improved carrier for index elements upon which the element may be slidingly mounted, and with which sliding movement of. the elements thereon will be limited ina simple manner.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description lof an embodiment of the invention, and the novel features will be particularly referred to hereinafter in connection with the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a carrier con- "structed 1n accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a portion of a frame with a number of carriers supported thereby and illustrating the manner of inserting or removing the carriers;

Fig. 3 is a similar elevation on a larger scale with an index sheet attached to a carrier' Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional elevation of the same taken substantially along. the line 4--4 of Fig. 3; and c Fig. 5 is a similar sectional elevation with the section taken substantiall alon line 5-5 of Fig. 3. y g the In the illustrated embodiment of the inventlon, theindex units are supported in oppositely facing guide grooves a provided in a frame or supporting element b, as usual in visible index devices. In the guide grooves a, the various carriers for index elements are mounted for sliding Ymovement along the frame, being held normally together by a suitable follower block (not shown) as usual in such devices. Each index carrier in the illustrated embodiment comprises. two hinged sections c and d, section c being guided in the grooves a and thedsection d mounting the index sheet or car The section c is formed of a channelshaped st rip of sheet metal, with the channel running lengthwise thereof, the length of the strip being greater than the distance between the open sides of the grooves a and less than the distance between the bottoms of the grooves. Adjacent each end of the channel strip, a tongue'l is struck up from the main face thereof, leaving an aperture 2, and the tongue is rolled upwardly and backwardly upon itself to 'form an outwardly elongated or oval bearing loop or projection for the attachment of the other section d. The sections lc are disposed in the supporting frame with the open faces of the channels down, that is, against the face of the frame, and with the main faces from which the tongues l are struck, facing upwardly or outwardly.

'Each section d is also channel-shaped, with the channel running lengthwise there# of, the bottom -or main face 3 of this channel being disposed flatl against the bottom or outer face of the corresponding wall of the other channel section c. One edge or side wall of the channel of the section d is lori er than the other edge, the bottom Wall 3 being coextensive along that side wall for a short distance from that edge, so that a projectin angular tongue 5 will be formed at each en of the section. The sidewall or flange 4 of each angular tongue 5 is bent over upon the extending end ofthe bottom wall 3, so as to form a more nearly cylindrical bearing element or tongue, which tongues are rotatably mounted in the loops or bearing projections the free edge ofthe flan nel section c. The tongues 5 thus serve as hinge pintles connecting the sections .'c and d.

The side wall or flange 4 is provided l'with an angular 'marginal extension 6, which eX- tends approximately parallel with the bottom face 3 and overv the free edge of the other side wall or ange 7 of the same strip, the extension 6 -being slightly spaced from e 7 to provide a slot through which the in ex sheets orcards may pass. The extension 6 is shorter than the flange 4 from which it projects for a purposewhich will appear presently.y

The index sheets or cards 8 are provided with flangesv or bent over marginal edges 9, and such marginal edges are slidingly mounted in the channels of the sections d as shown. in Figs. 3' to 5.v The width of the folded over marginal portion 9 cf each index sheet or card is slightly less than the width of the channel of the section d, so that when the folded over marginal portion or edge of thecard 8 is inserted throu h the space betwen the extension 6 and t e flange 7,-the`. bent over edge 9 may spring away from the body 'of thesheet and snap into the bottomof the channel of the section d. This marginal edge thenengages with the llange 7 to prevent withdrawal of the index sheet or element by pulls thereon.v The sheet may slid laterally ofitself, which will be lon 1 tudinally of the channel section d, in or er to remove it from the channel section, and by a reverse sliding movement it may be reattached, but the attachment to a carrier is more readily accomplished by inserting the bent marginal edge 9 directly into the channel between the extension 6 and the lian e 7. The marginal edge 9 is preferably slig tly -epashorter than the widthl of the index vsheet or card and the corners of the index sheet or card, adjacent the vmarginal or bent over edge 9 are notched or beveled, as at 10, so that the sheet or card will fit between the loopsor bearing eyes of section o as shown in Fi 3. The loops formed by the tongues 1 wil, therefore, normally prevent lateral sliding o f the index sheets or cards, until the side edges of the cards or sheets havefirst been flexed slightly to clear them of the bearing loops or projections.

Any number of separate superposed sheets or cards 8, withtheir bent over or flanged edges nesting over one another, may be inserted into any channel section d so as to provide a plurality of leaves to. each indexA element or unit, or multi-leafsheets or cards may have their folded over edges inserted in the carriers in the same manner. With this .made b eing into a somewhat oblique or diagonal posi-- tion, a's shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, so that thelends will be clear of the guide grooves.

lIt will be obvious that various changes in the details and materials, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be those skilled in the art within the princip e and scope 'of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a visible index device, an elongated member of sheet instal having transversely extending tongues cut therefromand bent to form bearin loops u on a face of the member, a sin e holder tatable in sai loops and also having portions for the attachment of index sheets thereto, whereby the sheets 4will be hingedly connected to the said member.

2. In a visible index device, an elongated member of sheet metal, relatively rigid against flexure in a transverse direction; having transversely extendin tongues cut therefrom and bent to form aring loops, and a holder having extensions from o posite ends hinged in said loo s and also ing portions for the attac ent of index sheets thereto, whereby thesheets will be hingedly connected to said member.

3. In a visible index device, a channelshaped strip of metal having transversely extending tongues struck out therefrom and bent upon themselves to form bearing loops aving tongues roupon a face thereof, and an index element an elongated I struck out from the interior of the bottom wall of the channel and rolled upon themselves to form projecting bearing loops, and` index elements hinged in said loops.

6. In a visible index device, a channelshaped strip of sheet metal, the channel run-l ning lengthwise of the strip, said strip havlng tongues extending transversely thereof struck out from the interior of the bottom wall of the channel and rolled upon themselves to form .projecting bearing loo s, and

a sheet metal' hlnge member, having. caring tongues extending from the ends and rotating in said loops, said hinge member having a portion formed for the attachment of 1n ex sheets thereto, whereby the sheets will be hingedly connected to said member.

7. In a visible index device, a base strip having bearing loops projecting from a face thereof, a hinge member ormed of sheet metal having aligned tongues extending from opposite ends adjacent an edge, said tongues being rolled along lines extending lengthwise thereof to form large bearing intles which are rotatably mounted in said oops, said hinge member having the portion intermediate the tongues formed for the attachment of index sheets, whereby the latter will be hingedly connected to the member.

8. In a visible index device, a carrier for index sheets comprising two articulately connected elongated members, one of said members being shorter than the other and formed of sheet metal, said sheet metal member having a flange extending from one edge across a face thereof toward and over t ey other edge and in spaced relation thereto, the opposite edge of said sheet metal member also having a flange extending toward lthe other flange solely in a directionapproximately normal to the face of the first flange and at approximately 90 to the plane of the sheet metal member but terminating in spaced relation to the other flange.

9. In a visible index device, a carrier for index sheets comprising two hingedly connected elongated members. one of said members being shorter than the other and formed of sheet metal, said sheet metal member having a flange' extending from one. edge across v a face thereof and toward the other edge and in spaced relation thereto, the opposite edge of said element also having a. flange extending approximately normal to the face of the first flange and at approximately 90- to the plane of the sheet metal member but terminating, without material deviation from its said normal direction, in spaced relation to tlie other flange, the overhanging flange being shorter from side to side than the other flange, whereby the flanged edge of a sheet element may be inserted edgewise between the flanges and anchored to the element thereby.

10. In a visible index device, anelongated member having bearing loops intermediate its ends and projecting from one face thereof, a channel-shaped sheet metal element disposed with its bottom wall against the said.

face of the elongated member, said element at lone edge being longer than at the'other and the flange of such longer edge being rolled over to provide bearing tongues which are rotatably received in said bearing loops, one of the sides of the channel element having an angular flange extending over and in spaced relation to the other edge of the channel for confining within the channel the flanged edge of an index sheet.

11. In a visible index device, a carrier for index sheets comprising an elongated member adapted to slide in guideways of a supporting frame and having bearing projections upon the upper face thereof, a sheet metal element hinged in said bea-ring projections and having means for slidingly receiving and retaining an edge of an index sheet, whereby the projections .will limit sliding of said sheet until the sheet is flexed to clear said projections` the sheet at the edge mounted in said element having a length less than thel distance between said bearing projections.

12. In a visible index device, an element adapted to slide laterally of itself in guideways of a supporting frame and having means for supporting an index sheet for sliding movement lengthwise of the element, said element having projections normally limiting the sliding movement of said elements.

In witness whereof, I my signature.

hereunto subscribe WILLIAM A. RINGLER. 

